Description

Follow Without Question

The intent of President Brigham Young and his brethren of the Twelve Apostles was to depart Nauvoo in February 1846, and make it to the Rocky Mountains that same season. One of the first to depart as an advance scout was Charles Shumway, who crossed the Mississippi River on barges and began the journey west.

The crossing of Iowa proved painfully slow and difficult. President Young and the saints did not reach the Missouri River until June 1846. Then came the recruitment of the Mormon Battalion to serve in the United States Army in their war with Mexico. With the loss of some of their best and strongest men and the lateness of the season, it was decided that the saints would make winter quarters on the west bank of the Missouri River and continue on the following season.

However, several families had been sent on ahead to try and reach the mountains that same season. Among them was Charles Shumway and his family. It was October 1846, and these hardy pioneers were camped among the Pawnee Indians on the Loup Fork River of Nebraska.

One night there came a knock at the door of the cabin Charles and his family were staying in. A voice called out “Shumway.” Two men entered the cabin with a message from President Brigham Young.

For all companies camped at the Pawnee Villages to move immediately back to Winter Quarters. Reliable intelligence has been received from mountain men and from knowledgeable Indian sources that the Sioux are preparing to again attack the Pawnee tribes, striking first at the missions, the government station, and the fort…. There is no time to spare. They may strike at day’s first light, tomorrow morning.”

Charles and the others immediately sprang into action, loading their wagons and yoking up their oxen. Long before daybreak, they were on their way east, back to Winter Quarters. They had gone about twelve miles where they found a high eminence and stopped their teams. Looking back to the west, they saw black clouds of billowing smoke rising above the horizon. “The Sioux had attacked and the fort and all the rest of the buildings on both banks of the Loup River were on fire. The entire Pawneee campsite where the Shumways had been was afire.”

“In later years, when remembering the close encounter with the warring Indian tribes, Charles and his wife would tell their family that this experience had taught them to listen to the words of the Prophet of God and follow without question.”

Source: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/memories/L55S-15M